PRESS ASSOCIATION -- Adele will battle it out with previous winners PJ Harvey and Elbow for this year's Barclaycard Mercury Prize.

They are among a shortlist of 12 acts - which also includes double Brit winner Tinie Tempah - who will compete for the esteemed award.

Half the nominees are nominated for debut releases and the list features four female singer-songwriters.

Adele is nominated for her second album 21, which is the biggest selling album of the year and set a new record for an unbroken 11-week stint at the top of the charts.

It is the second time she has been up for the prize, with her debut 19 missing out in 2008 to Elbow's The Seldom Seen Kid.

PJ Harvey was previously awarded the prize in 2001 for Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea. She is in the running this year for her acclaimed eighth album Let England Shake.

The Mercury Prize - won last year by The XX - is held in high esteem within the industry, but more importantly it frequently helps to boost sales of nominees and winners.

Tinie Tempah's inclusion, for Disco-Overy, follows his best British breakthrough and best single win at the Brit Awards in February. He is among the acts shortlisted for their debut albums along with Everything Everything, Anna Calvi, Katy B, dubstep producer James Blake and rapper Ghostpoet.

Jazz hopes are carried by pianist Gwilym Simcock, while folk interest comes from the collaboration between King Creosote - Scottish musician Kenny Anderson - and Jon Hopkins. Also included in the list is Metronomy, nominated for the third album The English Riviera.

The overall winner of the 2011 prize will be revealed on Tuesday September 6 and broadcast live on BBC Two.

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